What knitting did for me…

8 Jan

In tidying up a bag of yarn over the Christmas holiday, I was prompted to start a knitting project with some left-over denim coloured yarn.

I was trying to think of a small and enjoyable project. Fingerless gloves came to mind and I found a lovely free pattern online, which I’ll add at the bottom of this post. I added a knit 2 , purl 2, rib at the beginning and used 6mm needles. I weighed the yarn first because I didn’t want to end up with a glove and half! As the pattern states two 50g balls, and I had 125g of yarn, I felt it was time to get started.

I learned to knit when I was about 8. Knitting tiny bikinis for my Sindy dolls were some of my first creations. It was a pattern from a magazine that was such fun to make. At that time, it was possible to buy outfits for Sindy temptingly displayed in the toy shop, all boxed and shiny. The bikinis could have easily been marketed in a match box they were so small. I even made one for my next door neighbour, so our Sindys could got to ‘the beach’ together.

Aran jumper created whilst in hospital, age 16.

Eight years later, it was unbleached cotton yarn and bamboo needles that I asked my mum to buy in preparation for my major leg surgery, aged 16.

I’d seen an aran jumper pattern in a magazine, Prima I think, and thought this would be a really good project in the days and weeks ahead.

After being admitted to hospital, between the pre-op checks, I set about starting the jumper. I’d never knitted Aran before, so the pattern fascinated me. I recalled my dad telling me that it’s code and once you understand the code, it becomes clear. For example, with the fingerless gloves, K4, C3f and K12 row meant knit 4 stitches, put 3 stitches on a cable needle and place them at the front, knit the next three stitches, then knit the stitches on the cable needle, knit 12. This forms part of the pattern and is usually repeated a number of times. The glove pattern has a 6 row pattern repeat.

Starting the jumper before surgery was a significant move. It was probably a gut feeling at that age, but proved to be a very helpful one. After waking from the surgery under a foil blanket, shivering from head to toe and receiving a blood transfusion, I was taken back to the ward.

A couple of days passed and, propped up by lots of pillows, I was able to sit up slightly in bed and returned to my knitting. It provided me with focus. It was tactile, both the yarn and the needles felt good in my hands. The repetition and rhythm became a form of meditation, before I even knew about it.

There was an ever increasing familiarity about the pattern, as you’ll see from the photos, there were diamonds and cables. I wasn’t able to move about much for a few days, the jumper grew and became a fun talking point. When nurses returned for another shift, they asked how much I’d done since they last saw me. I have no doubt the focus required was a powerful distraction from the pain of a broken and pinned leg. The therapeutic effects of the immediate focus of each stitch, as well as the end goal of enjoying wearing it, were a huge part of my day. Some mornings I’d wake early and it was a ritual to put on my bedside lamp to achieve a few more rows before breakfast.

Reflecting on what knitting has done for me prompted me to buy this book, which arrived this morning. I’m very much looking forward to reading it. If it interests you, there’s a link below with more information.